Thanks all for your replies.
Let’s see if I have this straight.
If I meet another person attending a gun show and we strike up a conversation and make a deal that’s no different from my selling something to a friend or neighbor. Just a place where people who might be interested in such sales are likely to run into each other.
Here’s my followup stupid question. To have a booth at a gunshow, as opposed to just attending, does a person need a license? Or can I rent space and sell from my collection despite being unlicensed because I’m not “in the business?”
The show will require any dealer selling firearms at the show to have an FFL, no exceptions. You can still rent a table without an FFL, but you can't sell firearms.
If you have a collection to sell, nothing prevents you from sitting on the parking lot and displaying your wares from the back of your truck. But if you really have a collection to sell I recommend consigning through a reputable dealer or auction house.
Others have posted, but it depends on the gun show promoter’s policy and state law. Federal law only factors in if you exceed the limits below which you are considered a private seller.